Overwatch: Operation Phantom
by John Viking
Summary: Overwatch: Operation Phantom is the Age of Ultron of the Overwatch universe. Talon has regained a new device for their push against Overwatch. Battles will be fought, people will die. Will Overwatch be able to stop this new threat? Or will Talon finally bury Overwatch in the grave, and finally come out on top?
1. Prelude

**Hello all readers! I hope you enjoy this little prelude for an upcoming story line I have had since I first played the game. If this is liked enough I fully intend to complete it, actually I may just write it anyway. Please give me feedback and ideas: what characters would you like to see? A little note: Isaac McNeal is an Original Character I created in the universe of Overwatch. I hope you all enjoy reading his story as much as I love creating him :D. Please enjoy!***

[The Prelude to Overwatch: Operation Phantom]

"Mr. McNeal? Are you still with us?"

Isaac McNeal opened his eyes. Everything was a blur at first, but that slowly regained focus. He saw a lamp hanging overhead in a room of smooth café colored walls. He tried to move his head but something cold and metallic was bound around his forehead to whatever he was laying on. He rolled his eyes to the right, eyeing a man in a six thousand dollar suit sitting in a chair. The symbol of a talon was embroidered on his right breast on his dark grey jacket. To the man's left stood a woman, blue skin with a look that was colder than stone. She wore a skintight violet outfit, and it would have been quite sexy if she were not giving him the "I can murder you in ten thousand different ways in one minute" look.

"Mr. McNeal we really ought to be going over the accident, don't you think? It will be the benefit for all of us."

"The… the accident?" McNeal's head was fuzzy; everything felt numb to him. He couldn't feel his fingers or his legs.

"Yes, the Slipstream Incident. You were the Co-Pilot for the Slipstream project for a one Lena Oxton, were you not?"

Isaac gulped a dry ball of nothing down his throat. He cut his gaze away from the blue skinned woman and back to the rich person, obviously the man in charge by the looks of it.

"I was," he replied.

"And you were also the one who helped create the slipstream device, yes? You were on the lead team that created it, the ability to traverse through time?"

"I was."

"Good. Very good. Now can you tell me what happened on the day of the test flight? Records show Lena was the only one on board, they made no record of you to the public, and we can't hack into their personal files quite yet.

"I… I was in the Slipstream. Then…"

There was a flash of white light. Isaac heard Lena yell something, but no words or noise became audible to him. He looked at her frantically trying to regain control of whatever was happening. Isaac glanced out the window and saw the airbase below them. Lena turned back, yelling at something to him again with actual concern in her eyes. Isaac didn't say anything; he just turned and caught her gaze just before he saw her vaporize into nothingness. Suddenly he saw a bolt of white light shoot from the slipstream device straight through his upper chest; an explosion of agony overcame him. His throat was on fire, his hands were freezing, his legs were being stabbed, and his lungs exploded. Then everything went white, and the slipstream jet disappeared to all who witnessed the accident.

Years passed and they found Lena again. Winston and the Overwatch team helped her recover her physical form. Winston created the Time Chromium Accelerator so she could control her own time instead of it controlling her. Overwatch had been recalled, thanks to Winston and a small team of heroes who managed to put the satellite into place. Now Overwatch was in constant war with the terrorist group known as Talon. A few months ago, the Slipstream jet had reemerged from whatever time it was lost. A team of Talon agents lead by Widowmaker arrived on the scene long before Overwatch had managed to salvage it. They grabbed the shattered slipstream device and pulled out a body that was with the wreckage. The doctors within Talon's system felt it futile to try and revive the broken corpse. That was until life was mysteriously shot back into the body. This was all told to Isaac by the unnamed Talon leader to bring up the account of the years he had missed. Isaac just stared at him.

"They… didn't look for me?"

"Not even a funeral, Isaac. You see, once Lena returned, she was hailed as the true hero. You were simply forgotten. Hope was lost for you, for finding you. They had their "champion" back safe and sound," The Talon Leader expressed with a cold smirk on his lips.

"But /we/ brought you back. You can thank Widowmaker here for finding you. Her eyesight is quite masterful on hidden things, being buried under so much debris and all."

"I'm alive."

"Are you?"

Isaac's face crunched up in question. The rich suited man reached over and unclasped the metal holding his forehead down. There was another click and he felt his arms and legs become free from some unseen shackle. He lifted his weight up and looked down at his body. Veins of glowing blue mapped his legs, arms, and torso; parts of his fingers were missing, as well as half of his right wrist and left forearm. Both his legs were gone, but the shape was still there in some hardened faint blue light. In the center of his chest was a pulsating blue Rorschach shape, sending a pulse of brighter light through the blue glowing veins that mapped his destroyed body like a heart beat.

Isaac jumped off the table; Widowmaker didn't attempt to stop him. He found a mirror on the far wall and, to his own horror, looked at his reflection. The whole side of his right face was gone. All that remained was an outline of the head in that same faint light. It melted harshly to the left side of his face. Yet he could still see from both eyes, feel the right side of his mouth, felt like he had his whole body there, even though it didn't look it.

"Are you alive, Mr. McNeal?"

Isaac turned to him. His hands clenched together, and he spoke with horrific need.

"What the hell happened to me! What is this? What am I?"

The suited man looked at him with another smile. He stood from the chair and walked over to where Isaac was standing. He put both his hands on his "shoulders" like a father comforting a son. Widowmaker simply watched from the shadows, her fingers ready on her rifle should things not go as planned.

"You died, Mr. McNeal. You died years ago. You were dead when you were brought here."

"Then how am I /here/?"

"That question baffles even me, and I am the only one in this facility that has more intellect than anyone here combined. My hypothesis is simply thus. You are a phantom, Mr. McNeal. And I want to help you get your life back."

"How?" Isaac asked, still shaking from the frightening realization of everything he has seen of himself.

"How isn't important, yet. There is a little job I need you to do for me first, and I don't think you will refuse it."

"You want me to steal something for you? Build something? Am I even able to touch anything physical without going right through it?"

"Nonsense, Mr McNeal. No stealing or building. What I want is far more in line with both our agendas. You want your life back, to be normal again, and I think I can help you. But in order for me to help you, I need you to take care of a little mosquito that has been biting my skin for far too long. It has been getting quite annoying."

The suited man let go of Isaac and walked over to Widowmaker. Widowmaker kept her eyes on Isaac. He made a pause as he put his hands on his expensive belt beneath the suit jacket. He looked up like he was having trouble to phrase his request. After half a minute he turned back to Isaac; his grin was gone and a look of a man with nothing to lose was in his place.

"I want you to kill Overwatch. And I know someone who is likely to help you."


	2. Chapter 1: Doomfist

The Doomfist Gauntlet sat within the newly fixed case on top of a parked payload in the Numbani streets. An armored Overwatch escort was heading towards the payload to get it delivered at the museum. There was added security since Widowmaker and Reaper had attempted to steal it months before.

The day was October 29th and the air was slightly chilly through the metal forest of the city. Lucio and Zenyatta were in the front armored vehicle. Lucio was there, not only as security, but to give a special concert during the Museum Celebration with the arrival of the gauntlet. Zenyatta accompanied him for he was to give a speech on the harmony between humans and omnics as part of the ceremony and tribute to Mondatta. The streets were chained off where thousands of citizens came to witness the parade of trucks and the Doomfist itself be transferred to the Museum site. It was a huge event for the people of Numbani. The previous Doomfist had terrorized their city until Overwatch had put an end to him for what they hoped would be the last time.

"Hundreds come to see their past, Lucio. It almost makes me forget that this device we guard was such a horrible thing to them," Zenyatta told him as he sat cross-legged on the chair within the armored limousine.

"People remember the past, Zen, but it doesn't mean they are still haunted by it. They look at a future where they know they are safe, and this is a way they can see it," Lucio replied respectfully while the envoy of Overwatch vehicles surrounded the Doomfist payload and slowly paraded down the streets.

Zenyatta made no further reply. Human thinking was still slightly unknown to him, but he wanted to strive to be as human as he could. He was, of course, and omnic [robotic beings that believed they weren't soulless machines but actually had souls and free will of their own]. He was part of the movement that helped to mend relations between humanity since the near cataclysmic Omnic Crisis. If Lucio meant that humans celebrated events that had devastated their lives, then he didn't want to judge until he understood; he simply looked out at the window of the moving limousine; hundreds of people were gathered on the sidewalk, cheering at them with signs that held a lot of love towards various Overwatch members. Children sat on their father's shoulders over the crowd, waving their little arms at their heroes. Zenyatta began to feel that other Overwatch members should have been called to help escort the Doomfist judging by the 'I love you, Tracer!' and 'Power to you, Reinhardt!" signs.

The escort moved further and further down the street when suddenly there came a flash of metal against sunlight that flickered in the sky. No one saw it until it flew at an angle towards the first armored car, catching the heavy tire with a loud boom. The armored car swerved and rolled onto its side while the sound of a powerful sniper echoed through the city street from high above, sound catching up to the visual. Civilians dropped to their knees as the Overwatch foot soldiers that marched around the escort raised their weapons into the air. They were calling orders and lining up in formations. Lucio took a look outside while Zenyatta opened the door, hovering out of the vehicle to examine the hold up. There came another mini sonic boom as one of the Overwatch guard's helmet shattered to pieces. The guard fell onto the pavement, his head spread across the blackened road in fine chunks of meat and bone that flushed the street in a brilliant pink. Zenyatta examined the towering structures above him, eyeing a violet shape on one of the skyscrapers above.

"Widowmaker," he called towards Lucio as Lucio danced out of the vehicle. He went to the crowd trying to calm them down of their panic as he set his music beats into his headphones while prepping his sonic amplifier.

"We have to get these guys outta here, Zen. They will be sitting ducks, and Widow can get a few rounds off into them if we don't hurry."

"Civilian casualty prevention is our number one concern, I agree. But Widowmaker is after the gauntlet no doubt. You get the crowd moving, I'll make sure the gauntlet is kept safe." Zenyatta immediately turned to one of the ground troopers.

"Get a call to Winston to get the nearest Agents out here now!"

Lucio nodded to him before skating over to the panicked crowd. He was yelling orders for them to move and follow him as best they could over their frantic running and pitched screams. He set his amp to a speed boost so those around him could get as far as they needed with quicker speed. He watched Zenyatta hover towards the center vehicle, the Doomfist hovering in its protective casing.

There was another boom followed by another guard falling to the ground, his arm completely dislodged into a bloodied pulp. Zenyatta began to calculate why Widowmaker wasn't firing at the casing of the gauntlet, or at the two Overwatch agents. She was simply picking off the foot soldiers.

"Alone are we, tin can?"

The voice Zenyatta recognized too easily. He turned around, an orb of discord in his hand as he turned to face the angel of death. Reaper was standing firmly on top of the Doomfist payload; he had obviously wraithed into the middle of the escort while the guards were too busy trying to focus on Widowmaker through the fleeing crowd.

"Working for Talon yet again, Reyes? I would have thought you two learned your lesson back at the museum when you first attempted this."

Reaper didn't reply. He held up two evil looking shotguns in both hands, the eye's of each engraved skull were aflame with a venomous green. Red scattering bullets exploded from the barrels as he fired at the zen healer. Zenyatta threw the discord orb at Reyes, which began to hover around him like a fly. Zenyatta moved swiftly to avoid his attacker's advance. The remaining foot soldiers turned to Reaper just before two of them were struck down by Widowmaker's accuracy.

Lucio kept pushing the panicking crowd further away from the heated area, looking back at Zenyatta with concern. Zenyatta was no match for Reyes, or both Talon agents on his own. Lucio finally made his way towards Zenyatta after making up his mind to help him. His speed output made him skate faster back towards the stopped envoy. He just activated his healing output until he felt something trip him onto the asphalt; he could have sworn something appeared out of thin air beside him. Lucio rolled over in time to see a figure loom over him and jab a knife into his left bicep. He felt the blade crunch through bone and exit into the road beneath him. He yelled out in intense pain as he tried to move his cleaved arm. Zenyatta didn't seem to notice with Reaper occupying him.

Lucio regained his vision through the pain in order to focus on the figure, which was now walking towards the payload vehicle with a casual stride. His head was a shining metal that seemed to mask his entire head. He glimpsed a singular red circle in the center of the face that seemed to react and operate like an eye. Around the eye were four crimson shapes; one was a ring carved around the center oculus while the other three were violent triangular shapes; one protruding from the upwards from the outer ring while the others rested at the south west and south east of the ring. The figure wore military grade armor, nothing he had seen before with the armor given to the Overwatch program. It was composed of many pieces skillfully meshed together, seeming to allow quick maneuverability and reaction time. At the neck was a collar that stuck outwards and flowed down into a black cape with tears and rips near the brim. The cape seemed to also tie back upward beneath the figure's arms and attach back at the clasps at the collar. The new arrival wore a belt with pistols and sheathes for knives at each side of his waist.

Zenyatta turned to see the figure approaching and also seeing Lucio pinned by his arm to the road. He summoned a healing orb but Reaper blasted the orb out of his hand taking his fingers with it. Zenyatta fell back, hitting the ground that composed a grunt from his voice box. Reaper drew his attention away from the monk and to the encased Doomfist gauntlet. There was another sonic boom and the glass shattered at Reaper's feet. He turned and gave a hand motion towards Widowmaker's location. She gave Reaper an unemotional grin while surveying everything through the scope of her sniper, taking another stunned Overwatch foot soldier down. Reaper grabbed the gauntlet into his hands and stepped off the payload.

"You took your time," Reaper said as the cloaked figure approached.

"I wanted to see if my team was able to hold their own. And as I was told, you two handled things pretty well," he replied. His voice was a baritone easing into the low tenor range, but it was rough with blends of humor.

"We are /not/ your team. I am here simply for payback against that ridiculous monkey and his immature time moving freak."

"Yeah yeah, whatever. More important right now, what to do with them?"

The armored figure motioned to Zenyatta who was fancying his destroyed hand with the other. He was hovering back into a composed position. Lucio had already reached over and, through intense pain, tugged the dagger out from his arm. He heard a distinctive fleshy crunch as the blade eased out of his muscle.

Reaper and the unknown figure glanced at both Overwatch agents; then the masked man gasped as though a child had gotten Christmas early.

"I know what we can do!"

He walked over to Zenyatta, grabbing him around the neck with one hand, making Zenyatta lose his edge. He slammed Zenyatta hard into the ground twice before moving on top of him. Reaper stood there and watched all while Lucio scrambled back to his feet – the rollers of his boots slipping from misbalance. He started to move towards him but a sniper bullet impacted the ground in front of him, keeping him from moving.

"A little crude, but it's an effective method," the masked man said to no one in particular.

He gripped Zenyatta's head, pressing his thumbs above his visual receptors. Zenyatta's orbs around his neck began to stretch madly, reacting to his thoughts of needing to escape. His fingers pressed harder and harder. Lucio saw what was about to happen and launched himself forward, ignoring Widowmaker's warning shots. One bullet launched itself through his shoulder making him stumble. Lucio regained his legging and pushed forward; he was right on top of the attacker; He was charging his sonic amplifier for a soundwave attack, knowing it would push him off Zenyatta before Reaper could react.

 **CRUNCH**!

Zenyatta's head snapped back, his arms lolling back limp and useless; electrical sparks flew from his head. His voice box buzzed and groaned before going silent; the floating orbs around Zenyatta's neck stopped moving and fell to the road, rolling in various directions.

Everything went deaf in Lucio's ears except the beat of his heart in rage. He leapt at the unknown figure but felt a blast of pain in his left leg. Reaper was right beside him and had unloaded a shotgun blast into his thigh.

Lucio felt his shoulder impact the pavement. The cloaked figure dropped Zenyatta's body onto the ground. There was a thud and everything seemed to move in slow motion. Reaper began to walk away, the Doomfist clutched in his hand; an air vehicle moved into sight, hovering above the street, the Talon sigil painted clearly on its side; the cloaked figure moved towards Lucio, rolling him over onto his back so he could look up into that metallic shell of nothingness.

"Can I just say, Lucio sir," the voice behind the mask began. It was close to a taunting jest; every word swallowed the need to burst into a fit of laughter.

"I love your music. My kid back home has all your albums. Mind if I get a signed copy?"

The unknown man pulled one of Lucio's albums from some pocket buried beneath his cloak that surged like wings in the rushing breeze. He slid the album along his bloodied arm, staining the colored plastic glass with crusted gore before pocketing it again.

"Thank you. My kid will appreciate it," he said as he mockingly patted Lucio on the cheek four times, the fourth being a slap.

With that, the unknown figure stood back to his full height — a guess between six feet to six three. He brought his foot up then back down hard onto Lucio's injured leg, pressing fragments of shotgun shelling further into his muscle. There was a crack then a snap that Lucio felt just before his foot sagged to the side in an unnatural angle. He cried, grabbing his leg to try and cease the endless pain, but it continued to web through him. He wailed for the intense agony, for the failure of his seemingly simple mission, and for Zenyatta who lay in the road broken [dead by the looks of it].

"Are you finally ready, Phantom?" Reaper inquired with annoyance as Widowmaker brought the Talon airship above them for extraction.

"Yes yes," Phantom replied while waving his omitting hand at Reaper, "Let's allow our friends in Overwatch to find our parting gifts."

Phantom mocked a salute towards Lucio one last time before he vanished in a burst of light. Reaper wraithed up into the airship; Widowmaker tugged on the control sticks; the Talon ship hovered upward before flying off from Numbani. The Doomfist was gone; Lucio was in critical condition; Zenyatta was down; and a new player was in the fray of the likes Lucio nor Overwatch has seen before.


	3. Chapter 2: The New Phase

"Are you sure you didn't get a good look at him?"

"I already told you, Winston. He wore some sort of mask, but he was obviously working with Talon to get the Doomfist."

Lucio lay in the hospital bed, his leg wrapped firmly in a cast. He had bandages on his arm and face from the encounter in Numbani. Winston, Tracer, and Pharah were standing around his bed despite the doctor's concern with too many visitors.

"The only registered masked Talon agent we have in our records is Reyes, but what you described is someone much different. Which means –"

"Which means they have someone new on the field," Pharah finished for Winston. All four of them were looking deeply disturbed by this news. It was bad enough to have an ex Overwatch agent and a master assassin hunting them, now they had someone else to deal with. Tracer looked at Winston, discarding her high-spirited mood for a more serious look. Winston furrowed his brow as he thought. Lucio looked between the trio and replied frustratingly.

"He killed Zenyatta! Are we just going to sit here and talk like some committee, or are we going to go and catch the bastard?"

Pharah looked down at him; her stern dutiful gaze meeting his.

"We won't let whoever did this get away with it, Lucio, but you are in no condition to go anywhere in your present state.

"A broken leg isn't going to keep me down."

"Pharah is right," Winston finally said, "You need rest. As supportive as you are, this will take a bit more time to heal. We will need you in action to catch whoever this new player is."

"So I'm to just sit around as that maniac parades with the Doomfist?"

"For now, yes."

Lucio lay back, the disappointment and pain showing on his face. Tracer finally spoke up. It was clear that she was doing her best to not begin sobbing at the moment."

"And Zenny? What do we do about him?"

Winston gave her a sorrowful look. Pharah closed her eyes and bowed her head, not wanting to look Lena in the eye.

"We should…. Should at least bury him. We owe him that," Lena said hastily, blinking her wetting eyes.  
"We will get him to Nepal, where his fellow monks are. Someone should inform Genji Shimada, he would want to be there as well," Winston said.

"Let's leave Lucio to rest, everyone. We can prepare things later," Pharah replied just as she turned and walked out of the emergency room. Winston followed with Lena close behind after she gave Lucio a kiss on his forehead and a wave goodbye.

"Winston?" Lena said after a long moment of silence as they walked through the hospital towards the outside city of Numbani.

"Hrmm?" He replied, his gaze was fixed forward, obviously deep in thought about a variety of things.

"Will things be alright? Are you okay?"

Winston paused and Lena stopped abruptly behind him. He gave a deep long sigh. "Would things be okay?" he thought. They just lost one of their most valued friends, the Doomfist was in Talon hands, there was a dangerous new agent out there working against them. He lowered his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his giant hand before automatically rubbing the lenses of his glasses to clean them.

"I'll be honest, Lena. I'm not sure. When it was just Reyes and Amélie, we could handle things. But this new agent they have…. I have a hypothesis but.." He trailed off; looking at her then shook his head with a grunt of dismissal.

"A hypothesis about what?" Lena looked at him, concern present on her face. Did he know something the others didn't?

"It's nothing. Just some stupid questions I have to try and find an answer to. It just seems weird that they all of a sudden have a new agent in the field. I, of all of us, should have found some record of it in my lab at Gibraltar."

Lena frowned. It wasn't the answer she was looking for, but knew Winston would do his best to keep the real answer from her if it meant he was protecting her. She ran toward him and threw her arms around him. Winston was taken slightly aback and lifted one great arm and returned the gesture. It must have looked silly to anyone watching, a woman hugging a giant ape.

"I won't let anyone else die, Winston. I can't. I've failed too many times."

"We all have, Lena. Failure is unavoidable. Believe me, I know. I'm a scientist after all."

Lena gave a weak giggle that was mixed with a soft sob. She buried her face into his soft hair, squeezing him tighter before letting him go. Winston gave her a reassuring smile, which she returned. They both walked out of the hospital together into the Numbani streets to head back to the jet.

 **Half a world away, in the outskirts of France.**

Widowmaker threw the gauntlet onto the table in front of dozens of computer monitors which all showed various fields of interest around the world; cities, burial sites, villages, dead battlefields. The Man behind the chair reached his fingers out and touched the Doomfist carefully without turning around. He felt it as though it were a delicate treasure that the unworthy were unable to even gaze upon.

"The team was successful then?" His voice asked from behind the chair, shadowed by the light of all the monitors.

"Yes," Widowmaker replied in an indifferent tone. "We had a few complications, but they were handled."

"Did he perform well?"

"Aside from the noticeable behavior he expressed? Yes."

The Man turned around in his chair and gazed at Widowmaker harshly. There was a moment of tense silence as he thought over the report Widowmaker had just given him.

"Signs of psychosis no doubt. Must be the treatments we are giving him. Take him to Level Medical, and tell the doctors to give him some sedatives. I don't want any incidents. Not while we are so close to our goal."

"We got the gauntlet, didn't we? Wasn't that the goal?" Reaper's voice broke in. He stood at the doorway, fixing his sights on the Talon Overseer. Widowmaker didn't take any notice to him. The Man smiled in the shadow and replied calmly.

"My friend, we are only beginning our phase. With the Doomfist in our hands, we can proceed to greater things. Omnic factories all over the globe remain destroyed or inactive. The Doomfist was both a tool for destruction, and for building."

"And you want to what? Reactivate those tin cans?"

"In good time, my friend, in good time. All will be revealed, but first things are first. Now please, go see our other member to Level Medical. I want him in fit condition with our next phase."

Widowmaker stepped past Reaper and out the door without question. Reaper remained where he stood, staring down at the Overseer of the Talon organization. He grunted and stormed back out the way he came. The Man, the Overseer of Talon, sat back in his chair, taking the Doomfist gauntlet into his lap as he continued to oversee the monitors in front of him; a grin of victory on his lips.


	4. Chapter 3: Family Visit

Phantom was crouched on a rooftop over the café in King's Row. He watche as humans and omnics went about their evening. He couldn't help but smile beneath his mask as he saw one or two humans give omnic civilians a shady look. Despite what Mondatta had spoken, there was still conflict between the machines and the humans. This could provide an advantage for him later on. Phantom was aware of the EMP bomb stored in the garage beside Mondatta's monument. Talon had been the ones to construct it, intending to send it into the nearby Omnic refuge and exterminate dozens if not hundreds of omnic families. That was, however, not his mission right now.

He watched a specific couple walking away from the Mondatta memorial; a man and wife with a boy no older than seven at their heel. He knew who they were for he had met them three times in years past. They began to make their way into the market district, weaving through the evening crowds. He speculated that they were on their way back home. Phantom watched them from above, perched overhead like a preying vulture waiting to launch down and eat his fill. In the far alley across from him, a teenager was spraying Tracer's icon into the brick wall. Orange and black paint hissing against the cut out pattern that was plastered against the wall. Phantom took his eyes off the family for a moment to watch. He despised it. Didn't that child know that the only thing a hero was destined for was to die?

Phantom stood up to his full height; his cloak billowing out behind him in the soft breeze of the London air. The monitor inside his mask kept an eye on the family he had been tracking, a little gift from Widowmaker's own mask. He launched himself forward, seeming to glide through the air just before landing in the dark alley where the fresh painted face was finally complete. The teenager turned to face him. The look on his face was exhilarating, full of shock with a hint of fear. Phantom could feel warmth in his stomach as his adrenaline kicked in.

"What the f-"

Phantom reached and grabbed him by his shirt and shoved him hard against the painted icon. Chinks of brick broke off the wall as his head collided with it. Blood splattered from his nose, spraying against Tracer's left cheek. He slumped to the ground unconscious as Phantom stood over him. He looked at the painted icon for a minute, giving it some thought. He crouched down to the unconscious teen, pulling out his pistol from beneath his cape, pressed it to the boy's chest and pulled the trigger. The sound was muffled against the flesh and the bullet exited cleanly into the ground. Phantom grabbed his left leg and dragged the body into the shadows of the alley. He wanted it to be found, but not so soon.

Dropping the body deep enough into the alley, Phantom climbed back up onto the rooftops of Kings Row. He caught sight of the family he had been watching; they were entering a taxi on the far side of the market. Phantom quickly launched himself into a run, following the taxi that was weaving through the London street traffic.

After leaping across multiple rooftops, Phantom noticed the cab stop in front of a flat on the eastern side of the street. He watched as the family got out, paid the driver, and headed up the steps to the oak door. The streets were too crowded to make a move from up on the rooftop, he didn't want to cause a panic. Phantom wanted to savor every moment he could, and alerting the authorities by gunshots would be unwise.

Phantom unclasped his cape from his shoulders, letting it fall to the ground behind him. He leapt down from the rooftop into the alley away from view. He watched a man, a stranger in the crowd of people, enter through the alley thinking it would be a shortcut to his destination. Phantom hid behind one of the dumpsters to wait. Once the man had passed him, he grabbed him by the neck and threw his head against the dumpster corner, smashing his nose and knocking him out. Phantom began to undress him, throwing his baggy clothes over his body to cover his armored suit. He grabbed the man's hat and pressed it onto his exposed head after discarding his mask. The Talon surgeons and scientists had managed to hide the scars along his face and body, but only temporarily. Phantom had to work fast if he wanted to avoid too much suspicion.

He exited the alley and across the street at a red light. He glanced over his shoulder now and then to take in his surroundings for his escape route; he could always walk back out the front door, but that would depend on how much of a fight they would give him. He reached the door and opened it; immediately a landlord greeted him.

"Can I help you, mister..?"

"Mr. Jackson. I am here to see the Oxtons, are they in?"

"Just arrived, sir. May I ask what your business is?"

Phantom smiled, his friendly mask hid his true intentions.

"I'm a friend of their daughter. I wanted to say hello. As a surprise, you must understand."

The landlord beamed, taken in by the ruse.

"Ah yes! Tracer! My little girl is a huge fan; bout killed me wanting an autograph when she learned that her folks stayed here. Can you imagine?"

"I certainly can."

"Number 117, far door on the left on the first landing," the landlord said with a hearty smile.

"Thank you!" Phantom tipped the stolen hat to him before making his way to the staircase. Eighteen steps before he came across the first landing. The wallpaper was plain, a blue color with a faded orange carpeting for the floor. He followed the hallway as he was instructed and came to room 117.

He gave a soft knock on the door.

He waited a minute before he heard a chain unhook and the door open. There stood a woman with a confused look on her face. Behind her he could see a young boy playing with, from the looks of it, a toy Hanzo and Genji figure.

"Yes may I help you?"

"Evening, ma'am. I'm a friend of your daughter's. From Overwatch back when it was still operating fully. Your daughter saved me a few times, and I was just hoping I could meet the kind folk of who bore such a hero."

"Oh. Well, we never really get fans here, at least not us."

"I see. Well perhaps I can break that streak. I can consider myself as a fan of your family, so to speak."

"Lena usually gives out autographs by the park when she has time. Perhaps you can catch her there."

She started to close the door, but Phantom, without meaning to, stopped her rather aggressively. His tone was a bit forceful as he gripped the door tightly with his fingers.

"Please, madam. I just wanted to come by to share my appreciation with you. Tracer obviously learned her heroic and spirited views from someone, so she can't take all the credit. Unsung heroes, as you are being her parents, are worth recognition."

The woman smiled, her look seemed flustered. She opened the door and held her arm out towards the room to allow him entry. Phantom smiled and walked passed her into the flat. It was simple, a small kitchen with a little dining area. The husband was sitting in a worn chair watching the news on a flat screen television. He could see the city life through the window of the small living space.

"I'm afraid Lena isn't home right now, but if I give her a call then maybe she can speed by and –"

But her words were cut off by the sound of a gunshot. Phantom was holding a pistol he had pulled out from his stolen clothes, and the bullet had impacted the husband in the back of his head. He was falling onto the wooden flooring when the wife started to let out a scream. Before her vocal cords had enough time to vibrate the sound out of her throat, he plunged a knife into her chest. She was choking on blood as he gently helped her lay on the floor, shushing her muffled cries.

"Forgive me. Forgive me. It's the only way. I know, I know it hurts, but you have to understand. Please understand. It has to be this way. She, no doubt, never told you the truth. So I am going to share my truth with her."

She choked blood onto the ground. Their son looked at his dead parents, tears were steaming his eyes as reality was settling into his mind. Phantom looked at him, raising his gun for a moment before lowering it. He stared at the small child and nearly felt regret. Nearly.

"You're her brother, right?"

The boy looked up at him, choking a sob. The Hanzo and Genji figures lay lifeless at his knees.

"You'll do I suppose."

He reached out a hand, cupping over the boys mouth so he couldn't make a sound. He made his way back downstairs, seeing the landlord staring at him.

"Everything alright? I heard a loud noise," his attention fell to the sobbing boy, "What is going on?"

Phantom's voice was collective, "Poor fellow broke one of his action figures after I accidentally knocked a pan over in their kitchen. Caused quite the racket, poor guy nearly had a heart attack. Decided to make it up to him to take him out to buy him a new one before it got too late."

Phantom smiled at the landlord, pushing the boy a bit forcefully out the door. Then both of them disappeared into the crowded London night, leaving the Oxton parents dead in their home.


	5. Interlude 1: Fifteen Years Later

The world was less than it had been fifteen years ago. Cities around the globe were still rebuilding since the second Omnic Crisis had erupted across the world. Overwatch had built itself bigger for the world's security. They built bases of operations in major cities on each continent. More impressive, were the twelve watchtowers that hovered over various parts of the globe, acting as sanctions, security, and emergency response bases.

In London, the city was already pulling itself back from the second crisis. The city had nearly been rebuilt and life had continued to go on as it has been. Watchtower Three, also known as Eagle, hovered over the city at a distance. It shadowed over the Omnic Graveyard, a massive point outside London where the fallen Omnic forces were dumped. Mounds and mounds of robotic remains lay there, as both a reminder and a warning.

Eagle's air deck was lined with fighter jets and bombers. Fuel cans were stored all along the perimeter. The engineers were too busy checking in their functions to notice the six-man battalion marching behind their commander towards the lift. They packed themselves together onto the elevator; their commander pressed the button for level five. They passed down through the hanger bay where the behemoth drop ships were stored. Carts of weapons, medicine, technology, and more were being pushed through the maze of catwalks. They dropped past the next level of the security division. Overwatch soldiers and trainees marched through the hallways to classrooms, training simulators, or firing ranges. Finally they reached the second to last level for their destination. Athena, the AI of the watchtower, greeted them through the speakers as the doors opened.

"Level Five: Medical"

The battalion followed their commander out of the elevator, which shot off after the door closed behind them. They walked down a lengthy hallway until they came to a set of double doors leading into an examination room. The commander shoved the doors open, marching through until Angela Zeigler met them.

"Lena. Our appointment wasn't until eleven. I like to keep my schedule in order, and I have a patient in waiting right now," She said.

Lena Oxton removed her sunglasses from her eyes and stored them into her pocket. Her face was sterner, lacking the high-spirited young woman she had once been. Her left cheek bore a small scar where a missed bullet from Widowmaker nearly ended her life. Her hair, while still kept in the spikey fashion, had become tidier and less wild. She had grown quite a bit in fifteen years. She clasped her hands behind her back as she spoke to the doctor.

"I had to change it. I want a full diagnosis now, Miss Zeigler."

"I don't know what more you want me to tell you that I haven't already? Your obsession with –"

Lena interrupted her, "My obsession is necessary for the security of the world, Miss Zeigler. I trust you have not forgotten how many of our own we had to bury because of what happened?"

"I remember the families I had to bury, /Commander/. Not just our own troops. Don't act like you were the only one who had to deal with all of it. This still does not give you the right to torture information out of me," Angela said.

Lena sighed and started to pace before leaning against the wall to Angela's left. She looked back at her guardsmen who stood emotionless in the middle of the hallway, waiting for orders or for her leave. She rubbed the bridge of her nose and turned her attention back to Angela.

"I'm trying to keep things together, Angela."

Angela crossed her arms over her chest and walked over to her. She kept her gaze for a while in silence. Her following words were cold and without any shield to them.

"No. You are just trying to piece back together what /you/ lost, Lena. You just happen to be dragging all of us behind you through places we don't want to go."

Lena looked up at her just as Angela turned her back to her and walked off towards one of the operating rooms. Lena put her sunglasses back over her eyes and marched back out towards the elevator with her troops behind her. She ignored all the glances from the doctors she passed; some out of admiration, other out of shyness and fear. She stepped back into the elevator lift with her battalion, her finger hitting the top most level to the command deck.

Angela closed the doors behind her. She had once respected Lena, she was always so high-spirited, but now Lena had grown colder and often worked people too hard. Lena had become obsessed with trying to keep the world safe to the point it seemed selfish and taxing. Angela sighed and returned to her office on the Medical Floor. She looked at her battle suit and caduceus, something she had not had to wear in years with being confined to the Eagle. She sat down at her desk, viewing holographic charts and medical folders that she was swamped with.

Her fingers flicked along the desk screen, moving folders out of the way until she opened one labeled "Memories". Once it opened, there was a flood of photos that she had taken over the years; her and Torbjorn posing together for Halloween, Winston congratulating her on her promotion to Director of Medicine the same year the Eagle was built, and of course the old Overwatch team all together for a group shot in happier years. Yet the one she was most interested in was the one with her and Fareeha at the Temple of Anubis. Angela double tapped the photo to enlarge it. There a casually dressed Fareeha and Angela stood in an embrace the same night Fareeha had proposed to her. It had felt like such a lifetime ago. Angela felt warm tears begin to push against her eyes, falling along her cheeks and dripping onto her desk.

"Doctor?" A voice asked from her door.

Angela quickly switched off the hologram and wiped her eyes before standing up. She straightened her coat and faked a smile as best as she could when she saw her assistant standing there.

"Yes? Oh, right. I'll be right there, Doctor Lennon."

Doctor Lennon nodded then took his leave quickly to leave Angela alone. Angela looked down at her hand, the golden wedding band on her ring finger. She twisted it slowly along her slender finger before marching towards the door to her office. She looked back at her caduceus and her suit, her embodiment of failures that caused more harm than good, bringing more pain to everyone for her playing god. She cast her gaze away, cut off the lights, and closed the door.

Dead roses covered the memorial. Defined white marble was carved into soldiers on top of a large circular base. In the center was Reinhardt holding his hammer high. To his left was Soldier 76 forever shouting wordless orders behind his mask to the petrified troops around him. To Reinhardt's right was marble carved into a smoke cloud that lifted up over the troops and heroes and supported the carving of Pharah; stone rockets shooting from her wings in a glorious display. At the base of the memorial statue were individual marble bricks, each carved in a name of the person lost during the second Omnic Crisis. Lena stood several feet from the memorial, her hands in the pockets of her coat as she stood on some of the memorial walkway bricks, names of people she didn't know under her feet. She felt in her heart that Winston or Reinhardt would tell her, "They lay there for you to walk on, as their way of holding you up for their sacrifice". The thought brought a pained smile to her lips as she kept her eyes on the statue of her dead friends.

"Still doing this, I see?"

Lena felt strong arms wrap around her waist from behind. She leaned back against his chest as his gentle lips pressed against her neck affectionately. She felt the weight of everything on her loosen a bit, some of the golden thoughts returning to her spirit as he held her.

"I have to, Blake. It's the only way I can cope with what I have done these years," she said.

Blake brushed his hand through her brown hair. He held her close, feeling that if he let go she would blink away and be gone forever. Her small body against his felt so fragile and weak despite knowing that she was so very strong and capable of handling things on her own.

"None of this was your fault, Lena. Losses happen, it's how war works; one person cannot save the world on their own," he said.

"I could have. I would have taken a bullet for anyone of them if I could; if it meant they could spend one more second with their families and friends, I would have died for that,"

"Then I would never have gotten the chance to fall in love with you,"

Lena turned to Blake. His soft green eyes poured into hers. He was strong and taller than her. She lifted onto her toes and pressed her lips to his. Her body became warm and she melted into his arms. She felt his tongue sneak past her lips and over her own. She placed a hand on his cheek, pulling him closer, remembering how they had first met. She remembered how she lay bleeding by a gunshot to the shoulder under the water of the Hudson River shores after Omnics had shot down their aircraft. She remembered being pulled out to safety by him while Omnics barraged their position with bullets. She remembered laughing for a good minute straight after he said that the only thanks he would need would be to have dinner together on a date, and seeing him cry and laugh knowing that it was a joke since they would both probably die there.

But they didn't. They had lasted out, Reinhardt and his Crusaders had arrived to break through the Omnic forces and evacuate them, and she agreed to go to dinner with him. That began a chain of events both didn't see coming; a friendly dinner from an attempt to make oncoming death seem less scary and lonely turned into love. Lena never looked back on her decision because she didn't have to, she had no regrets, and she loved Blake with everything she had.

The kiss ended and Lena stepped back out of his arms. He smiled down at her and took her hand in his own. She felt his thumb stroke over her fingers just as they always did. She smiled, blinking tears from her eyes.

"Come on. Let's get back to the Eagle. I know something that may cheer you up."

Lena felt him put an arm around her shoulder, pulling her to his side. They began to walk away from the memorial, from all the death and heartbreaking memories of friends she won't ever see or speak to again, and towards the air taxi.


	6. Author Update

Author Update:

First I want to thank every one of you who have taken the time to read and support my work here. It has been a privilege so far to write this story and do it to the best of my ability, I know my writing isn't that great but I try my best. Just want to give a few updates. First, regarding my two other Fan Fictions, I /AM/ still working on them; the Jester's Ace is put on pause because I have writing block on it, but I haven't given it up yet. Mortal Kombat is still going, I am just moving very slow with it because my inspiration to write it fluxes in and out. For now, know that I am mainly working on this fiction, but I am not abandoning the others.

I want to also apologize that it has been slow to publish each chapter. Part of it is because I take so long trying to figure out what is going to happen in each chapter and my ideas keep changing. Also the other part is I am in a Competitive Group on Overwatch on the PS4 so I have a lot of time on there as well.

Also the chapters with "Interludes" on them are set 15 years after the events of the normal chapters. So it will be going back and forth between times.

Example: Chapter 3 is in the story's present. Interlude 1 is 15 years in the future. Chapter 4 is back to the present. Interlude 2 is back to the future. I try not to make it confusing.

So yeah, that's where I am. I will try to have the next chapter uploaded by or around Christmas time. I look forward to writing the next chapter. I hope you are all excited and scared about what Phantom will do next. :D


	7. Chapter 4: Christmas

Snow plowed onto Watchpoint Gibraltar without letting up. The roadway was covered, and the white powder cascaded down off the buildings, flowing off the deep cliffside into the sea. The waves at the bottom of the cliff roared and crushed against the rocks, trying to devour all that was up above its thirsty jaws.

Mercy, Winston, Pharah, and Soldier sat in the main laboratory. They sat in silence, not speaking to each other, but hearing the muffled thunder linger in the silence that lay between them. Winston drummed away at the keys to his keyboard, constantly pushing his glasses back against his face out of automatic muscle memory. It wasn't until almost an hour passed when Mercy stood up and looked towards the opposite room leading from the lab.

"Someone should go check on her," she said.

Pharah looked at her, and Winston looked back at her with a grave look.

"We should leave her be, I feel like she wouldn't want any company right now," Winston replied before turning back to his computers.

"She can't avoid us forever. She needs someone," Mercy protested.

"There isn't anything we can do. I've tried reaching out to her, but to no answer.

The others knew it strange that even Winston wasn't able to get into contact with Lena. Being one of her closest friends, Lena and Winston usually confided with each other closely on any occasion. The fact that Lena was even ignoring him troubled them deeply. They hated to see the high-spirited woman this put down, but they couldn't blame her. After all, her family was dead.

Morrison sighed, his scarred face twisting as he fought off a growing headache. He had been awake since he was summoned to Gibraltar and hearing the news about the Oxtons. What had been worse was it was two days until Christmas, and they all had plans made. Now those plans seemed to be scrapped for more important ones. The Watchpoint had been decorated and spruced up by Winston to look more festive. Now the colorful lights and holiday tree hardly even pierced the shroud of grief that was flooding the room.

"We knew the risks when we took this job. Our lives weren't the only ones on the line. Family, friends, loved ones were all potential targets," Jack said.

"Are you implying it's her fault?" Fareeha snapped at him. Jack stood up defensively and didn't back down.

"I'm saying that war is war, and you should know this. We didn't take this job to wear fancy outfits and hand out autographs. We may be heroes, but it isn't a glorified job. There are always risks, conditions."

"Then why don't you go over there and tell her that? See how she reacts!"

Fareeha and Jack glared at each other for a moment before Angela finally stepped in.

"Enough! We can't be arguing against one another right now," Angela said just before turning to Winston. "If she doesn't want to see us, then alright, I won't press the issue. But it doesn't change the fact that we haven't found out who killed them or where her brother is."

Angela spoke the truth. They had no word of Lena Oxton's younger brother or of whoever was responsible with murdering her parents in their own home. All they knew was that it was quite a horrific scene when the authorities arrived.

"I've been searching through the files as best I can, Angela. None of the killings match any member of Talon on record. Reaper doesn't kidnap prisoners, and Widowmaker would have shot the boy as well as the parents. It was too messy for her doing anyway."

"Could it have been the same one who attacked Lucio in Numbani?" Morrison asked as he calmed down.

The four of them remained silent, each thinking the exact same thing. Whoever this mysterious new player was, they weren't on their side, but to kill someone's family with no particular orders to do so, that's what was troubling them deeply.

"Do we at least have a name? Any identification?" Fareeha asked after the silence continued.

Winston shook his head. He looked in the direction of the hallway that lead to the resting quarters of the Overwatch members. He pictured in his mind Lena huddled in the corner by her bed, crying and all alone while feeling helpless. He felt a surge of guilt burn into his stomach.

Lena sat in the bedroom. Her hands clasped tightly to her knees that were pressed up against her chest. She had her head buried against her legs as more warm tears stung her eyes. She hadn't slept since the news had reached her about her own family; her parents and her little brother. She felt an anger she hadn't felt swelling inside her. She got to her feet and shot a fist directly into the metal wall of her room. Her fist exploded with pain, but her anger burned it away. She threw her other fist against the wall, a loud crack of metal rung through the silence of the room.

She pictured anything, anyone she could; picturing their face where her fists were striking; Reyes, Amélie, Sombra, Junkrat, anyone she hated. Punch after punch until her knuckles hurt too much. She fell back onto the floor sobbing even harder. Her fingers shook and her chest heaved. She felt helpless and more alone than she had felt in such a very long time; not since she was lost in time after the Slipstream explosion.

An hour passed and everything was quiet until she heard a knock on her door. She closed her eyes, trying not to make a sound of her crying as she waited for the visitor to go away. She very much wished that Emily were here.

"Lena?" Came the familiar voice of Winston. Lena looked up at the door, so very tempted to open it up and hug her friend as tightly as she could. She knew he would let her cry onto him for as long as she needed, but the anger inside her kept her where she was. "Lena, I know you're in there. I just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas, and…" Winston paused for a moment, "and that I am unbelievably sorry. I know how it feels, to lose those closest to you."

Lena knew he was referring to Dr. Winston who owned Winston back on the Moon Base. She lowered her face back into her arms and didn't say a word. Winston stood outside her room again, waiting. He waited for thirty minutes, forty, an hour, and hour and half. By the two hour mark he sighed and sat beside the door, propping himself next to the cold metal wall and fell asleep.

The room was filled with laughter and cheer. Talon soldiers off duty lifted glasses of wine and eggnog to the ceiling in jubilation. They were in the home of Chief Commander Richard Charleston. Christmas decorations were hung all about the lavish dining room. His wife stood beside their son, Blake Charleston for a Christmas photo. Presents were gathered around their tree, and holiday music played loudly to add a warm feeling to the atmosphere.

"Brothers! Sisters!" Richard called out. His voice was stern but filled with celebration, "Enjoy yourselves. We have much work ahead of us if we are to take down Overwatch. Our Overseer has allowed us this day off, and I bring good news!" Richard turned to his son and pulled him over to his side. Blake looked uncomfortable; he wasn't smiling or looking at anyone particular. He didn't want to be here or to be noticed. "My son, Blake, has been promoted by the good graces of our Overseer. He ships out to his new station first thing on the New Year. Our family couldn't be happier," Richard exclaimed as he held Blake tightly to his side. There was another uproar of cheering, drinking, and applause as Talon celebrated together.

The table was set with a floral cloth where two plates and glasses were set on opposite sides. In the center was a candle designed to look like a frosted Christmas tree. On the plates were two bread rolls, peppered cut steak with a dab of horseradish and sauce, three scoops of mashed potatoes and green beans with cheese and salt over them. On the far right end of the table sat a photograph. In the photo stood a man and a woman. Both were smiling brightly through the glass covering as they stood in front of a jet with the Overwatch insignia on its side. The man wore jeans and casual shoes along with a t-shirt of the Yellowstone National Park. The woman to his side wore sandals that tied around her ankles and a loose flowing spring dress. She was holding his arm tightly, frozen in time in that single photograph.

The door to the room opened. Phantom walked in, his face free of a mask or flesh mask to hide his disfiguration. He wore the rest of his outfit however to keep his fingers or legs from disappearing on him and causing an accident. The suit was his only way of having a physical body for certain limbs.

He sat at the chair, scooting himself up politely to the edge and placed the napkin on his lap. He sharpened his knife with his fork for a second before setting the silverware down on the table and bowed his head.

"Today is a great day, and I say grace to it," he said to himself.

He picked up his fork and knife and cut into the streak. He savored each bite, tilting his head so it would go slopping out through his vanished jaw. He took in a few more bites before glancing up at the photo.

"Eight years," he said, "Eight years we were together. Now I am here, and you are not. Sometimes I think back to what happened, what caused it all to end, and I'm brought before a terrible reality,"

He took another bite of meat, humming in happiness over the taste. The candle kept the dark room illuminated. Finally Phantom stood up; taking his glass filled with blueberry sparkling juice in it and began to pace around. He appeared to be at a loss of words before finally collecting his thoughts.

"I promised you that I would come back, that the whole operation was safe. I /told/ you that I would see you again," He turned his gaze towards the photograph, "But that was before it..before everything happened to me. By now you probably remarried and have three kids, not one named after me. You probably have your old wedding band and photographs of me stored away in an attic where they won't be found until you are in a senior home. Can't say that I blame you."

Phantom began to cry. It startled him, seeing himself so vulnerable. He furiously wiped the tears from his face with his free hand.

"I've done horrible things, Taylor. I had to; there wasn't any other way. It's Lena's fault I'm like this, Overwatch's fault!" The glass broke in his hand, spilling fizzing liquid all over his glove and the floor. "I was left there in that wreckage. I was written off as dead or unobtainable. It wasn't fair that they got happy endings and I didn't."

Phantom finally collected himself. He turned on the light within the room and looked at a map. The map was of Australia, marking the various Omnic factories that had been shut down and blown up. He clasped his hands behind his back and smiled to himself.

"I'm going to fix everything. Fix me, fix Overwatch, Talon," He gave a pause, "The world. Everything will be just fine, Taylor, and then we will be together again. Merry Christmas."


	8. Chapter 5: The Tomb

The sands surrounding the Temple blew in every direction, clouding Phantom's vision as he pressed on. The stone pillars heeded archaic warnings to those who were trespassing. Phantom ignored nor bothered to care what warnings they held for him. His thoughts constantly focused on the objective. Talon had sent him here with Widowmaker to uncover the body of the omnic god, Anubis. Seeing as how Overwatch was currently disposed due to an "accident", which no one other than Phantom knew why, the mission seemed to have a one hundred percent chance of success. Phantom tapped on the comm in his ear.

"How do you plan to give me cover with this sand storm, Miss Lacroix?" He asked.

There was a moment of pause before the audible click of his comm replied back. "How do you plan to keep talking if I shoot your tongue out, Mr. McNeal?"

Phantom laughed. He always enjoyed poking fun at his teammates. It was one of the only comforts he could find to keep his true intentions hidden from them by making it seem like he was harmless enough.

"If I walk out of this tomb surrounded by security or worse, I'm going to carve your pretty little yellow eyes out, Widowmaker. Just make sure I'm not disturbed since I am doing all the heavy lifting."

He got no response, whether because she didn't have one or didn't care to respond, he didn't know. He made his way deeper into the tomb, the large Egyptian statues of an ancient era still perfectly erect as they stood guard over the massive doorways. The light began to grow darker the further he went. Many of the archeologists had already searched through the tomb site, removing artifacts they deemed worthy of placing into museums. They had, in fact, neglected to touch the Omnic God Anubis' inner chamber however.

Phantom quickened his pace, the HUD of the visor within his mask switching to night vision to give him a perfect view of his surroundings. The green wordings giving him detailed information of the environment around him; details on the stone, sand, age of the weathering of material, and translations of the hieroglyphs. Phantom looked around the large inner chamber; it too was empty, all except the massive burial casket in the center.

Phantom moved towards it, the visor detailing each engraving and painting upon it. Anubis hadn't been alive since Pharah and her team destroyed him months ago. The Omnic God was buried in here in hopes that it would never again reawaken; though that seemed impossible with the damage that Helix did to it.

"Clumsy," Phantom muttered. He pushed his hands onto the lid of the casket, giving a strong shove. The lid fell with a loud bang onto the sandy ground. The small flashlight, part of Phantom's visor, ignited onto the open casket. Within lay the robotic remains of a very large and very dead Omnic. It bore markings of various Egyptian symbols and coding. Phantom started to admire the massive construct; how anyone could destroy such a being was beyond his knowledge. It almost seemed sad to let something so extraordinary go to waste.

"Hey um, Miss Babysitter with the sniper, I hope you don't plan on me carrying this thing out on my own," he mocked into the comm. There was no reply, typical, but he knew that she heard him. Anubis was far too heavy for him to lug around by himself. A moment passed just before he heard the buzzing sound of a drone. A small palm sized robotic hovered into the tomb with him, bearing the Talon mark. It began to scan the open casket, ignoring Phantom's presence.

"Thank you, Violet," Phantom spoke into the comm with a smile on his lips. The scanning took a total of five minutes. Talon was researching and analyzing Anubis in order to conceive some information on armor upgrades and weaponry that could be useful. When the drone was finished, it hovered back outside to be extracted by Widowmaker.

Phantom remained in the tomb. He breathed in the dusty air, it being filtered through his mask. He positioned himself at the head of the open casket, staring down at the god beneath him. He reached down, lifting the head of Anubis up, pressing his index finger down on the release switch. A soft click seemed the rupture through the silence of the tomb. A glowing blue command chip fell from a slot at the back of Anubis' cranium. Phantom dropped the god's head and raised the chip to his eyes; there was no permanent damage to it, it was salvageable.

Phantom pocketed the chip and exited to the entrance of the tomb. He shielded his eyes as the blazing sun pierced into his vision. He saw the Talon shuttle hovering several yards away from the dig site; Widowmaker was already boarding into the side door.

"Trespassers are not welcome here, Talon dog," a voice came from behind him. The dialect was native to the Egyptian country. He turned around, seeing Pharah in her Helix gear hovering above him. "So you were the masked gunman Lucio spoke of, back at Numbani."

Phantom bowed low. "Guilty as I am honored by your presence, Miss Amari; now if you don't mind, I have a ride to catch, and I am dying for a drink. This sun is murder."

Pharah didn't smile. She held up her rocket launcher towards him in warning. Her wings lowered her slowly to the ground. She moved towards him. Suddenly four other Helix Pilots flew in, flanking Phantom from both sides. Phantom turned his head from left to right to survey his odds. He sighed, putting his hands up.

He felt the metal of her weapon press against him, a foolish distance to discharge an explosive round so close, but he could understand. "And the one responsible for the death of the Oxton family. Lena will be very pleased to see you in custody. You might as well tell us where her brother is, and what you have done to him."

"An interrogation, Fareeha? Here? That isn't any fun. Are you supposed to be the bad cop?"

Pharah scowled. She hit him hard in the back, pushing him forward. "Move," she ordered. Phantom began to walk, his hands still up behind his head, yet Pharah was concerned with the casual way he carried himself. Almost as though he didn't mind being arrested.

"So road trip? I've always wanted to see the inside of Gibraltar. I never got to see it when I worked for Overwatch in the glory days unfortunately."

"What do you mean—"

Pharah's words were cut off as the first sniper bullet hit the Helix Officer to her left; his helmet cracking open at an odd angle from the impact as his body slumped to the ground of the tomb entrance. The others in her squad took to the sky, their rocket jets igniting for maximum propulsion. Phantom remained where he was however, still resting his head on the palms of his hands.

"Location! NOW!" Pharah yelled to her Helix group.

"I don't have any visu—" One of them began before another bullet pierced through her lower back, damaging her jet engines. The impact caused her flight suit to spiral out of control before crashing her through the upper wall of the Anubis Tomb, rubble crushing her life out of her.

Phantom remained where he was. Underneath his mask he had a smile etched onto his face, watching Pharah try to scramble her team together as best she could. Another bullet went past his ear, grazing the side of Pharah's torso. The wound caused her to lose her posture and stumble back, her blue armor shading into red from the non-lethal strike. During the brief moment, Phantom lowered his hands. He called out to her, "If Lena wants to boy alive then tell her she needs to do something for me." His body began to dissipate, limbs and digits disappearing as he talked. "I want the research Overwatch had done on the Slipstream. Every folder, every cookie crumb and coffee stain that touched even a corner of any paper than was used in its making. I want it. She has a day, because let's be dramatic about it."

Phantoms body vanished into the air, no smoke trail or anything left behind. To Pharah it was as though his disappearance called off the sniper shots. The remnants of her squad began to group back together, pulling their dead and wounded to safety in case the shooter was still there. Pharah held her side with her hand, standing back on her feet. She glared at the spot the man she had nearly captured had stood, his words ringing in her ears. A hostage for research? It didn't make any sense to her.

"Amari?" One of her squadmates called out, "Michaels and Sabrina didn't make it. Dead on impact. Szar is wounded in the arm, but the rest checks out fine. Should we attempt to engage?"

Pharah turned to him and shook her head, "No. I need to return to Gibraltar. Get the wounded to some medical attention, and we'll worry about burying the dead later. I need to find Lena Oxton."


	9. Chapter 6: Rescuing Akande

Widowmaker stood on the rooftop's edge carefully, feeling the ball of her foot shift ever so slightly to keep her balance as she leaned further forward. Her grapple hook stretched further out behind her as she kept herself steady while her body leaned a few degrees over to get a better shot. She could hear the shockwaves of the impact against the wall vibrate against her boots. She watched several Talon agents form a perimeter around the prison that held one of their council lords, known as Doomfist. The Man in the Suit would want to present the Doomfist to him personally after he escaped. Widowmaker exhaled, her bicep burning as it held up her sniper rifle with one hand. She looked through the scope and could already see Numbani Security driving towards them from several blocks away. She was prepared to take life to free his.

"Want one?" A hand lifted into her field of view of her scope holding a Reese's Cup. It was already half bitten into. Widowmaker narrowed her eyes as she gritted her teeth, scowling down at Phantom who sat on the edge beside her. He waved it to her and proposed the question again.

"Amature," she rasped in her smooth accent.

"Ouch. Your loss. I hear your mouth cries tears of joy when you eat one."

"Are you as big as an idiot as you are a killer?"

Phantom looked over at her. He plopped the chocolate treat into his uncovered mouth. Widowmaker tried not to take notice of the scarred tissue around his lips and even the flesh that had linked itself from the upper jaw to the lower portion over his mouth. It was getting worse she realized.

"Did you bother taking the serum he made for you?"

Phantom shrugged and said, "For all I know you guys could be pissing in a tube and calling it a cure. Besides. I think it makes me look handsome."

" 'Andsome?" She asked as she looked back through her scope at the approaching security.

"Don't the girls like the scarred boys? Or is that just on TV?"

"Ugh!" Widowmaker started to ignore him. The pounding within the walls below was getting louder. He was nearly out. Phantom stood up, brushing his chocolate fingers off onto his suit. He looked down, hearing the sirens below.

"Time to go to work"

Widowmaker took the shot.

The bullet impacted the farthest driver. His vehicle rampaging out of control as it swerved off into the sidewalk. The restaurant stopped the impact, but not after another bullet from her rifle pierced into the energy tank, causing a massive explosion. Thankfully the streets were already cleared of civilians. She never took a civilian life, only the target assigned to her. The other security vehicles kept speeding forward. Their sirens were practically on top of them now. The Talon agents below were finding cover and aiming their weapons.

Phantom began to whistle. He walked right off the rooftop, waving at Widowmaker as he did. The velocity of the fall was exhilarating. He could feel the Chronal implants jump charging his body and cells, pulling him into the future and the past all at once. Several mirror images of him were already on the ground while the rest fell back towards the rooftop as though time was reversed. His physical body was split and transparent. Finally both past and future images caught up and returned to the original body, solidifying it once more just as he fell on top of the first patrol car.

He smashed into the windshield, drawing his pistols from his belt holsters. The passenger and driver were the first one shot as he used the momentum to dive into the back. He put another bullet into the heads of the backseat patrolmen. The Talon agents began to open fire on the remaining two vehicles. The shoot out had begun.

Widowmaker shot two of the patrolmen and one of the front tires of the farthest vehicle that flipped over and crunched at the top. The remaining patrol car was riddled with bullets and plasma burns from the agents firing nonstop at it. Everyone inside killed without a chance to pull out their weapons.

The door to the closest patrol car was kicked open on the inside. Phantom strolled out whistling a tune under his mask as he dragged one of the bodies out with him. Widowmaker rappelled down from the rooftop, landing lightly on her feet while her grapple returned back into her gauntlet.

"Not bad, eh?" he said as he let the body drop to the ground. Widowmaker ignored him as the final THOOM within the prison sounded, the wall shattering open. There in the opening stood Akande, also known as the current Doomfist. He marched outward, still in his prison garb, into the streets. Widowmaker and Phantom eyed the Talon Lord quietly; even his presence seemed to shut Phantom up, which was satisfactory for Amélie. As he was walking out, one of the Talon drop ships lowered itself onto the street nearby. Both Widowmaker and Phantom could spy Reaper standing on the landing ramp awaiting Akande to get aboard.

"I wonder if he's a boxers man or a briefs man," Phantom said just after Akande was out of earshot. Widowmaker looked at him with annoyance. How could anyone speak so unprofessionally towards one of the Lords of their organization? Even with the Man in the Suit, Phantom regarded them more as acquaintances rather than employers. She cursed him in French with a roll of her eyes. She began to mobilize the remaining Talon soldiers as the drop ship flew off back over the city of Numbani towards their base. Phantom simply looked around, crouching over the dead officer and rummaging through his belongings. He found his ID, credit chip, and weaponry. He whistled as he pocketed these items into the pouches concealed into the weave material of his cape.

There was a sound of a sudden boom. Another drop ship entered into the Numbani airspace very different than the Talon ship. There was a streak of blue and two of the Talon soldiers fell unconscious where they had stood just before the streak of light materialized into a young woman. She wore skintight orange leggings; white running shoes, modified for high-speed resistance; a worn brown pilots jacket and white holsters attached to her wrists. But what caught Phantom's eyes was the familiar orange eyewear on her head that covered the beautiful brown eyes and freckled nose bridge beneath them. The woman looked at him, and she looked stunned but angry. Widowmaker stood beside Phantom now, her eyes narrowed at the sight of the Overwatch agent. The drop ship hovered above the new arrival, and the drop pad opened. From it, a massive gorilla armored in white protective gear dropped beside the much smaller agent, a massive weapon gripped in his huge fist.

"Isn't that…. Illegal?" Phantom said after the dramatic entrance was over, "The bestiality thing? I mean I know we are all mammals, but come on Precious, he isn't even evolved yet."

No one paid his humor any mind. Winston and Widowmaker glared at each other. But Tracer, she had her eyes fixed on Phantom. It was a gaze that wasn't anger for good versus evil, but for recognition of who he was. Recognition of her family's killer.

"Where. Is. He?" She finally said through gritted teeth.

"Akande? The big guy just took off. That way if you must know. Or was it that way. They blindfold me when I get in one of those things. I keep telling Amélie here it turns me on, but she keeps doing it. I think she likes it." He laughed before Widowmaker smacked the butt end of her rifle into his ear. He doubled back and held her at bay with his hand.

"WHERE IS MY BROTHER!?" Tracer yelled even louder. Her cute pitched voice was clouded with a darker and more serious tone.

"Oh!" Phantom strung out after rubbing the pain from the side of his face, "The little kiddo is fine. Just fine. I won't kill him. Not until you and I finish some business, Miss Oxton."

"What business?" She said, her body becoming less tense as a confused look crossed over her face.

"Oh no no. Not yet, sweetheart. That cake isn't baked and ready yet. But when it is, it will be so sweet and satisfying."

"Enough of this!" Widowmaker exclaimed. She shifted her Widow's Kiss into the sniper form, taking aim at the British agent, firing a round that missed only from her blinking out of the way. Winston leapt up into the air towards both Talon agents. Phantom leapt to the side to avoid the impact, unleashing a barrage of bullet rounds towards the mighty beast. Winston held up his arm to shield his face from the attack as his armor absorbed the impact. Widowmaker and Tracer continued to fight one another, blinking and zipping with incredible speed as though it were a rehearsed dance.

"Winston, how's it hanging?" Phantom mocked.

Winstone merely narrowed his eyes angrily at the foe, "I know who you are and what you are. I will only ask this once. Where is the boy?"

"Now now, big guy. If you know who I am then you know I can't reveal that information quite yet," Phantom said with a laugh behind his mask. He tossed his pistols into the air after ejecting the empty cartridges, replacing them with new ones as they landed back in his grip. He then unloaded more rounds towards Winston's position. Suddenly he felt a kick impact the side of his ribs, sending him flying a few feet to the right. He sat up from the ground and saw that Tracer had abandoned her fight with Widowmaker, and came to engage with him instead. Her face was serious and quite fiery with anger.

"Well hello to you too," he said, bringing himself back up to his feet. He could see Widowmaker emerging from a broken window from where she was obviously temporarily incapacitated by Tracer. He looked back at the small British agent and smiled under his mask.

"Mommy ever tell you that kicking people was very very rude?"

Lena let out a growl of anger, blinking towards him as she pressed the trigger to both her energy pistols; her chronal accelerator seemingly responding to her anger, empowering each blink to send her further and faster. Phantom's body shifted into the past and future at once, the energy rounds passing harmlessly through him before his body regained time and physical form. Sweat was building on Phantoms forehead, thankful that no one could see. Using that ability always drained him greatly. He leapt forward to meet Tracer in her next blink. Their arms crossed and pushing to gain ground with one another. Lena was using every ounce of energy she could to overcome her opponent while Widowmaker kept Winston distracted. Lena and Phantom kept their struggle up, her accelerator pulsating quickly and brightly. Phantom laughed.

"Foolish. I thought you Overwatch agents were smart," he said just as he opened one of his hands. Inside his palm sat a grenade that was primed to blow. Lena looked at it with immediate alarm, blinking away from him just as it fell from his hand and exploded with massive impact. The street where both of them had stood was now a smoking crater. Lena rolled with the momentum as she fell from the unbalanced blink. She looked over and saw Phantom still standing, much further than he had been originally. He looked up at Widowmaker, pressing the comm on within his headpiece.

"Time to go, pretty blueberry. Ride is here," He stated over the comm just as another Talon airship broke through the sound barrier and hovered above him. Widowmaker leapt from the building, firing her grapple onto a hatch beneath the ship, pulling herself up into it in one fluid motion. Phantom did the same, waving at Tracer in a mocking way as he exited into the dropship right before the open hatched closed shut. The airship began to turn to retreat back out of the city. Lena, powered by frustration, leapt towards it with as much usage of her accelerator that was allowed. Winston looked with alarm, leaping after her with a jet boost.

"Lena! No!"

His words were ignored. Lena, mid air, reached for a pulse bomb on the latch attached to her back. She clicked it on and tossed it at the ship as it was about to leave. But just then, the ship's wings opened revealing an array of missiles. They fired at both Tracer and Winston right before the ship flew off. Lena's eyes went wide. She couldn't hear anything but her heart racing. She closed her eyes and let out a deep exhale. She felt strong arms grab her shortly before she felt an intense heat surround her. There was a loud boom then an unrelenting ringing in her ears then fire. A cascade of fire.


	10. Chapter 7: Meeting

Lena's eyes opened. Her vision was met with a blinding flash of white light followed by a sharp pain to her retinas. She quickly closed them again to block out the light. She moved her arm and felt something soft lift up with it. She slowly opened her eyes again. This time the flash of light was smoother, revealing a soft light attached to the ceiling. She quickly recognized her surroundings as a hospital, but she couldn't tell where she was. She saw her chronal accelerator lying beside the bed attached to a charger. Her entire right arm was bandaged from her fingers to shoulder. She sat herself up before a firm but gentle hand pushed her back down.

"Lay back, Lena," Angela's voice said sternly.

Lena looked to her other side and saw the guardian angel and doctor standing beside her. She looked as though she hadn't slept in hours, perhaps even more than a day.

"Angela?" Lena said groggily.

"You'll be fine. You're in the Guardian Transit Hospital in Switzerland, my old operating room. You have sustained injuries along your right side, arm and deep cuts at your legs. But you will recover, Lena," Angela said as she took Lena's hand in her own. Her thumb stroking her fingers gently in comfort as Lena focused her gaze at her.

"And Winston?" Lena said.

Angela frowned. She didn't say a word for a passing moment, which made Lena begin to tear up out of fear for her dear friend. Angela chewed on her lip before finally breaking the silence.

"He's in critical condition. He took most of the blast for you. His shields absorbing most of it, thankfully, but enough got through his armor. All we know is that he's stable right now. We won't know the full extent of his injuries until he wakes up."

Lena sat up immediately, despite Angela trying to hold her down. She threw the hospital covers off her bare legs, twirling to the side to plant her toes on the cold floor. She stood up and felt her body resist. Angela was still trying to push her back down onto the bed.

"I have to go to him," Lena protested as she tore off her monitors and made a footstep forward. As soon as her arch touched the floor, a sharp pain went up her leg straight through her spine. It caused her to catch her breath and Angela forced her back into the bed. She held her down by her shoulder as she looked at her.

"You are going to rest. I'm not losing anyone else today," Angela practically yelled at her. It caused Lena's protests to cease. What did she mean by anyone else, she thought. Lena then began to finally notice the bustling of nurses and doctors moving frantically outside her hospital room. She looked back at Angela with panic in her eyes. As though understanding what she was going to ask Angela spoke again.

"The blast was wide. Some civilians taking cover in the nearby area were caught in it. More than thirty-five confirmed dead. Another twelve injured and we had to air lift them here in order to treat their injuries. We aren't sure how many will make it."

"This is all my fault…" Lena began as tears poured from her eyes, staining her cheeks.

"No. This was Talon. This is what they wanted. They would have blown everyone up no matter what happened."

"If I hadn't jumped after them….him… I wouldn't have," She choked up, "Winton. Those innocent people,"

Lena turned to her side. She let the gravity of it all release in her. Tears boiled out of her as hatred and sorrow mixed together. She cried. She let herself cry for the first time in what felt like forever.

"Idiot!" Widowmaker spat as she threw her goggles to the ground. Her face scorched with fury as she looked down at Phantom. Phantom sat in a chair, his chest and head bare as Moira began to conduct modifications and repairs to his ever affected skin. The most prominent change was the gaping hole that had formed on his chest, his heart and lungs glowing pale blue, the same light from the teleportation matrix from the Slipstream. Moira concentrated as she attempted to keep the rest of his body intact.

"Harsh," Phantom said as he looked back up at her, "But I did what was needed."

"You nearly sabotaged the mission for a bit of a joke," She spat.

"Are you just angry because I shot a missile at your little girlfriend?"

Widowmaker's eyes darted to his at the comment. She clenched her fists tightly into her palms. She walked off, an aura of anger spewing out from her that everyone could see.

"You shouldn't overexert yourself, McNeal. This affliction you have from the teleportation matrix is consuming your cells. Until we find a permanent fix, you will have to be careful when you go on missions," Moira informed him.

"Well I have my suit to keep me intact, darling."

Moira glanced at him with a grin. She finished applying the cellular shielding to help slow the decay before releasing him from the chair. Phantom stood up from the seat and stretched his arms. He walked over to the mirror to examine his new damage. Ever since the accident, Talon had managed to keep his limbs and digits from constantly disappearing, but it started to devour his skin and muscle entirely. Sombra had fetched crude prototypes of Tracer's chronal accelerator from Overwatch labs that Moira turned into tiny canisters that were plugged into Phantom's right breast and shoulder. They helped control his abilities as well as his "curse".

"I've been meaning to ask you, darling. Where did you hide the Oxton boy?"

"In France of course. Mrs. or is it Miss Lacroix's mansion or whatever the hell it's called," He replied as he examined the glowing mini canisters plugged into his body.

"Curious. And you trust Widowmaker not to release him back to Lena?"

Phantom didn't reply for a moment. He ran his hand down along his chest, feeling the empty hole forming in his chest. He then turned around and looked at Moira with a grin stretched almost painfully along his left cheek.

"I honestly don't care if she does. But she hasn't yet so whether she will or not is up to her. I just took the boy so Lena would know I was here. That I was alive,"

"What will she do when she finds out?"

"Probably not care. Why would she? She left me in that rubble to start with. They all did," He reached into a pocket, holding up the Anubis Chip from the Temple mission in his hand out of Moira's sight, "I have more important things to do than worry about that boy anymore."

With that he walked out of Moira's medical lab. She watched him leave before shutting off the lights. Phantom walked past patrolling Talon guards to his quarters. He closed the door behind him, taking the chip out once more and setting it on his desk. The power to hack into any machine in a desired radius, turning them all into one singularity of an army was sitting before him. He could command entire legions of Omnic forces simply with this one device. A second Omnic Crisis. Overwatch would be defenseless. The world would be consumed in metal and war. Now he only needed to figure out how to turn it on.

"Will she be okay?"

Fareeha sat up, straddling Angela's hips with her own. The moonlight glowing against her bare body as Angela's hands moved along her thighs. Angela gave a breathless gasp, leaning up on her elbows and began kissing along Fareeha's stomach.

"Do you really want to talk about this now?" She replied.

"She is a friend. I have a right to know," Fareeha replied as she arched her back from the feeling of Angela's lips against her stomach; her hips moving slowly against hers in a gentle rhythm. She caressed her hands along Angela's cheeks to the back of her head, letting her fingers run through the silk blonde hair of her girlfriend. Angela's lips moved up along her abs to her breasts. The touch made her hips move faster.

"She's beating herself up. She blames herself," Angela lay back down, looking up at her, "She's lucky she wasn't killed,"

"We all make mistakes. Morrison knew she moved too fast. Once she grows up she will slow down. She is still a rookie,"

Fareeha's words were almost cut short as Angela's hand moved under her hips. She felt her fingers move at her wetness, causing her back to arch even more, "Stop talking," Angela said.

Fareeha leaned down, moving her hips with Angela's hand. Her left hand moving along Angela's neck in a dominant choke as their lips met. Passionately and almost desperately they kissed. Their needing hips moving for love and desperation to be together through the night. Both were practically crying out when their door opened immediately. Fareeha rolled off of Angela, cursing and covering herself as Angela sat up. She was sweating and breathing hard, but the intruder looked more scared than she did.

"D… Doctor Ziegler? It's Lena. She's gone."

Lena let her fingers run through Winston's fur softly. He was breathing steadily, but he was otherwise unaware of her presence. Lena always felt safe and at home when Winston was around. He was her best friend, and her savior in a way for rescuing her from a life trapped in chronal disassociation. Now it was her fault that he was almost killed by Talon for being too hot headed. Lena let her head rest against his, closing her eyes and listening to him breathe. His breath smelled like bananas and she choked up a giggle as warm tears stung her eyes again. She matched his breathing, fingers moving through his fur again. Moments past before she finally stood back up. She kissed his forehead softly before turning to leave. She pressed the comm device in her ear. She set it to an unsecure and public channel.

"Mondatta's Memorial. Tonight. I need to speak with The Phantom," She said before looking back at Winston. She sighed; hoping she knew what she was doing before she left the room.

It was raining hard that night in London. Many shoppers and tourists were scattering to get to cover and dry off. But Lena sat on the top of the golden statue, where one of her first failures occurred. It seemed like a fitting place. She was drenched but it wasn't the rain that was bothering her. The lights of something moving fast in her direction cut off her thoughts. She stood up on the head of the statue, clenching her fists. The lights began to swerve off and the shuttle turned to an angle as the cargo door began to open. Standing there was the cloaked armored figure from earlier. His mask reflecting the lights of the city below. Lena began to move forward, but the figure held up a hand to stop her. In his other hand he revealed a small detonator with a glowing red button that his finger was gently circling over. When he spoke his voice seemed deeper and less joking as it did before in Numbani.

"I'm here. Talk."


	11. Interlude 2: The Party

Lena sat at the dinner table with her legs crossed over one another. Her eyes were fixed to the outside world before her. Hovering shuttles and cars swerved and flew by her window in lines of different layers. Eichenwalde had grown so much in the past fifteen years despite the second Omnic Crisis. Towers now loomed where there was forest before. The town itself was now twice as big. It all seemed normal to her. Almost.

Her dress felt too light and revealing. She hadn't worn it since her dating years with Emily. The mere thought of her brought another pained clench over her chest as the memorial plaque with her name etched on it flashed into her thoughts. She closed her eyes, reaching a hand over the chronal crystal etched into a necklace that Winston had made her as a promotion gift. It pulsed warmly in her fist. Her orange open toed heels rested against the wood leg of the table. The whirr of hovering vehicles bled into sounds of jet engines from a war long past. Ghosts of bullets rang into her ears. She felt her muscles tense. She felt the familiar feeling of the jet's joysticks in her hands from her mere thoughts; the sound of metal being hit by enemy gunfire. She could see in her mind the apartment building, Emily's flat, blow up as Omnic Jet Class VI's bombed it in a run. The explosion from the memory caused her to snap back to the present. She opened her eyes. She had sweat running down from her forehead. Her heart was pounding and she couldn't breathe. She was about to get up from the table when a hand rested on her shoulder. She turned and saw Blake standing there with a smile on his face. He took a seat on the opposite side as an Omnic waiter came to take their order.

"Sorry I'm late, love," he said gently after ordering some wine for the both of them. He straightened up into his seat and looked across the table to Lena. She looked at him back stone faced before smiling, wiping the small trickle of sweat from her forehead as she pretended to brush a strand of hair back behind her ear.

"You're just in time, love." She replied, quite thankful that Blake had arrived to pull her out of the cold memory of war. She felt ashamed. Blake had seen more war and carnage in the Omnic Crisis II than she had, and if he showed any signs of PTSD then he didn't reveal it in front of her. He seemed so strong to her, and it made her blush somewhat.

Then someone stood up, heading over to the center of the restaurant floor. He was a tall man with sleeked black hair and mustache that made him look older than he really was. Lena recognized him as Marcel König, one of the few remaining Crusaders that squired under Reinhardt when he tried to bring their order back during the start of the last war. He was barely thirty-three years of age, but he was now one of the leaders of the New Crusader Order. He held up a glass and got everyone's attention. Everyone stood up with him in a circle. Lena and Blake held hands, grabbing their wine glasses and finding their way in the circle with the others that had gathered.

"Friends and allies!" he began as he raised his glass higher. "We are here to celebrate the dearly departed Reinhardt Wilhelm who fought for all of us and more through his many years as a Crusader. Not only was he able to keep fighting well into his retiring years, but he brought a dead order back from the grave to fight alongside him," He took a drink from his glass and everyone else did the same after the clapping had died down.

"But it wasn't just him that helped spearhead the way for us to rise up from the ashes," Marcel stretched out his arm, holding his hand out towards a woman. She was not nearly as tall as him, but she was slightly imposing. She had a few freckles dotting her node and cheeks, and dark brown hair that were tied into a ponytail at the top back of her head with two small braids flowing down each side at her temples to her collar. Lena and everyone recognized her as Brigitte Lindholm, Torbjorn's youngest daughter and only three years younger than Tracer. She was very beautiful.

"My wife, Brigitte, and my fellow Crusader in Arms." Brigitte smiled, a cute blush forming on her freckled cheeks. She brushed back some hair and went forward to meet her husband in the center of the room. They kissed and then she raised her own glass high.

"To the Master and Mentor. To Reinhardt. May he ride upon glory in the next life and keep watch over all of us." There was a cheer with more clapping and everyone downed their drinks.

The evening party went on as normal. People mingled with each other. Lena could see Angela and Torbjorn talking to one another in a merry conversation. It almost pained Lena to know that they were the very last of the team left. She was standing with Blake when Marcel approached them. His towering height shadowed over both of them. He bowed low and shook their hands. Then Lena saw that Brigitte was standing there with him, smiling at her. She smiled back and felt a small hint of heat flush her cheeks.

"Ah! The Tracer and the Soldier. A love poem of the tales we have heard so much!" His German to English was a bit rocky, but understandable. Lena and Brigitte kept eye contact with each other, almost a bit too long before Marcel noticed.

"Ah yes! This is my wife, Brigitte. But you must have known her already, Mrs Oxton. You fought alongside her father, yes?"

"Yeah I did," Lena finally said, turning to him. But we never actually met officially before. Overwatch was shut down before I could make a proper introduction to the Lindholm family."

"Well the pleasure is all mine, Lena Oxton," Brigitte said, stepping forward and taking her hand in a firm handshake. Lena shook it back and smiled. Blake and Marcel talked to each other. Brigitte and Lena, however, kept their hands held before Brigitte finally spoke.

"Care for a quick dance while the boys discuss war stories? I've heard all that I care to from Reinhardt as a squire to him," She giggled at the memory. Lena nodded following her to the center of the floor where the other dancers were. Brigitte led her past them all and to the exit.

The pillows fluffed beneath Lena's head. One hand gripping it tightly while the other gripped the top of Brigitte's head, the dark brown hair providing an anchor for her to hold onto. She arched her back, Brigitte's tongue gliding teasingly down along her navel and back to her sex. Her lips parted into a moan as she was made love to by the beautiful woman between her legs. Her knees bent and she rested each foot on Brigitte's muscular shoulders. She was glistening from sweat and her hips moved with Brigitte's mouth. The blindfold that was tied around her eyes prevented from seeing anything that was going on, which made her frustrated but turned on.

Brigitte shifted position, crawling up Lena's body and kissing at her neck. Lena wrapped her arms around her, moaning more as her head tilted back. She bit her bottom lip hard, chewing on it as Brigitte's lips glazed over the sensitive areas of her lengthy neck.

"Give me your hands, Lena." Brigitte whispered against her neck. Lena felt her hands being taken and positioned together above her head with Brigitte's strength. Then there was a feeling of cold metal followed by a **Click**. She tugged her hands, feeling them cuffed above her to the bed. She looked down, still blindfolded and felt Brigitte's lips capture hers in a kiss. Their wet tongues wrestling with each other as their lips held together. She felt Brigitte's muscular body pressing against hers, hands moving down her sides to tease at her thighs. Lena tilted her head back once more, Brigitte following her lead and attacking her neck again with her mouth. She felt her urges burning as her body was touched and teased.

"Fuck me…." Lena whispered, tugging harder at the handcuffs that Brigitte had locked her in. She felt Brigitte moving down her body, spreading her legs again for her. Lena lifted her feet to find their hold on her shoulders. She let out a harder moan as Brigitte's tongue flashed against the arch of her left foot before she kissed it.

"I plan to, love." Lena shuddered, feeling those warm soft lips return to her sex. Her hips ground against her face as each breath she took became deeper and more intense. The night continued on, the party going on as normal as Lena climaxed against Brigitte. Brigitte reaching up to muffle her mouth with her palm to keep her screams of pleasure silent. Lena kissed to base of her palm as Brigitte climbed back up her, straddling her waist. She leaned down, her hands caressing and holding Lena's cheeks as her lips captured hers once again. Lena could taste herself on them, feeling her tongue move along hers. Brigitte moaned softly against her lips, and just as she did, her hips began to move against hers again. This was going to be a very long night.

Eagle Tower was half guarded that night. Many of the Crusader's that acted as guards were at the party gathering in Eichenwalde; only a few remained behind to guard the various watchtowers around the world that Overwatch had constructed, but many of them were rookies who held the post with honor while the veterans and those closer to Reinhardt could celebrate. Eagle Tower, being the most prominent Tower, and so more Crusaders remained there to guard the prisons. Prison 77 was held at the base level apart from everything else. It had its own power supply, mechanical grid, and its own security detail. Inside the cell sat Isaac McNeal at the single table where food rations were served to him, though many would prefer that he not be fed at all. Angela Ziegler sat across from him, flipping through her folder and medical list. She had returned from the party earlier to check up on her patient.

"What's the schedule for today, Doctor?" Isaac asked in a cool voice as he lifted a spoon of white slop to his lips.

"Commander Oxton wants to have you evaluated again, Isaac," She began as she looked up at him. Despite everything he… no… everything Phantom had done, she couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards him. She had begun to treat his case as a severe split personality disorder. Ever since Overwatch, which ended the Omnic War II, had apprehended him Isaac had become much less aggressive. Even his appearance had changed nearly back to normal save for a few scars on his face. Yet no one fully believed Angela when she brought it up, they all believed Phantom had accomplished his goal of massacring as many as he could before surrendering.

"She still thinks he's inside me?"

"Is he?" She asked, looking at him sharply.

Isaac looked at her sadly, setting down the spoon, "I know I killed your wife, Doctor Ziegler. I'm asking for no forgiveness or mercy for what I had no control over." The mention of Fareeha made Angela hold her breath. There was a short silence before he continued, "I'll tell you the same thing I've always said. I was looking through eyes of a body I had no control over. It was like driving a car with someone else's hands on the steering wheel."

Angela had been told that story since they had brought him in. Down to the letter, it was the exact same thing. Angela had begun to wonder if it was actually true, if Isaac actually believed it. Yet Angela knew she couldn't trust him fully, Phantom was very skilled in manipulation, and she was cautious of many things he said.

"Is it morning or …?" Isaac sat back in his chair.

"Early dawn" She replied.

Isaac put his head into his hands, running his fingers over his crudely shaven head. "I've been in here for….?"

"Some would say too long. Others, like Commander Oxton, would say too little."

Isaac yawned. He stood up from his chair and lazily walked over to the cushionless bed that hung on the side of the wall. He sat down and then lay himself on it. "I think Im going to sleep again, Doctor. Im… so very tired again."

Angela got up and walked over to the cell doors. She took the ID card from her neck and pressed it to the window of it where a holographic computer appeared and unlocked the door for her. She had everything she needed. She was about to walk out when she heard Isaac call to her.

"Mrs. Amari?"

Angela stopped. Neither he nor anyone called her by that name since Fareeha was killed in action. She slowly turned and saw he had his back to her on the bed, cuddled up in his arms with his legs tucked in.

"I'm not afraid of monsters in the dark, Mrs. Amari. I'm not afraid of the monsters under my bed. I'm afraid of the monsters I see when I close my eyes. Will you sit with me until I'm asleep?"

The request was very odd. Angela remained where she was for a moment before walking slowly over to Isaac's bed. She sat down on the side of it, unsure of what to do. She saw him reach one hand up over his shoulder, which she hesitantly took. He gripped her hand tightly but not hard. She watched him closely, using her other hand to rest upon the energy pistol at her side. Minutes passed and still nothing happened. Nearly an hour went by and then Isaac's hand began to slack a bit between her fingers. She could see his chest rise and fall with soft beating breaths. A gentle snore found its way through his throat that gave her the final indication he was at last asleep. She gently let go of his hand and stood up, walking back to the door. She froze when she reached it. Standing there was Commander Oxton and Crusader Brigitte Lindholm in her Crusader armor. Both did not seem very happy at all. Angela stepped through, closing the cell door behind her. She took a glance at Lena before making her way past them to the elevator and back to her office.


End file.
